There is a question that invariably arises among those who are going to quit smoking, and this is the search for what to replace the cigarette with in moments of craving to smoke? If you listen to several followers of a healthy lifestyle, then you may decide that if a person asks these and other similar questions, this may mean that deep down he is not ready to quit smoking, he has doubts, whether it is about the need to this. , or on his own strength. . .
But at the same time, it should not be forgotten that addiction to nicotine in the form of cigarette smoking is not so much a physical addiction as a mental addiction, an unhealthy desire.
It is clear that when something is taken away from a person who has firmly entered his life and is a reason to feel positive moments, then he begins to experience expressed anxiety, which later transforms into the need to replace what was taken away.
In addition, nature abhors empty spaces, you have to fill it with something. What will replace smoking in your case? What can replace bad smoking?
Advantages and disadvantages. . .
Today, smokers have no problem answering the question of how to replace smoking with cigarettes. Everyone can find something suitable for them, someone likes so-called safe cigarettes better: electronic or without nicotine; others prefer sugary lollipops or lozenges; for some, gum or seeds are the way out.
But sadly, all these substitutes have their drawbacks: lollipops spoil teeth and figure, chewing gum causes increased gastric secretion, and nicotine-free and e-cigarettes are not always effective for withdrawal.
What are cigarettes worth replacing and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each "substitute"?
Cigarettes will replace lollipops
Many smokers who do not know how to replace cigarettes begin to consume large amounts of lollipops, suck on hard candy or lozenges. This helps to combat the urge to smoke quite well, the pills act on the receptors in the oral cavity and the respiratory organs, to some extent replacing the cigarette.
Mint-flavored candies are especially effective: they reduce the urge to smoke, freshen your breath, and contain less sugar. The popularity of candies as a substitute for cigarettes is well founded: they are not addictive and they really help to cope with the urge to smoke.
But if you replace every desire to smoke with sweets, then the number of calories, as well as sugar, will exceed all reasonable norms, and therefore problems with excess weight and impaired carbohydrate metabolism.
Chewing gum versus cigarettes
Chewing gums can be divided into 2 large groups: regular and special that contain nicotine. The first "work" on the same principle as sweets: replace smoking with another action - chew.
But when choosing gum flavored with menthol or cinnamon, do not forget that constant chewing causes a greater secretion of gastric juice, which means that the risk of developing gastritis and stomach ulcers increases. Nicotine gum contains nicotine, and while it relieves withdrawal symptoms, it does not cure cravings to smoke.
The electronic cigarette replaces the usual
The electronic cigarette is considered today one of the most effective ways to combat nicotine addiction. Completely copying the appearance of a cigarette and the lighting ritual, it helps to combat psychological addiction and smoking, and due to the fact that not cigarette smoke, but vapor, enters the body, damage to the body.
But unfortunately, this remedy is also not a panacea for smoking, steam inhalation cannot replace the sensation of smoking, and the e-cigarette itself is common. Today, doctors and scientists argue about the benefits and dangers of electronic cigarettes, but it has already been experimentally tested: electronic cigarette replaces ordinary cigarettes for those who want to quit smoking themselves.
Nicotine-free cigarettes: convenient and safe?
Nicotine-free cigarettes look and act the same as regular cigarettes, but your tobacco does not contain nicotine. Such cigarettes are a real alternative to the usual ones, but they are recommended to be used only during the period of quitting smoking. In fact, when the smoke from a cigarette without nicotine is inhaled, carbon monoxide resins, benzopyrene and other components no less harmful to health also enter the body.
Other "substitutes" for cigarettes
You can replace cigarettes with seeds, drinking straws, chewing on wooden sticks, or having a snack instead of a smoke break. But each method, in addition to its advantages, has many disadvantages, and whether it is worth exchanging one problem for another, each smoker must decide for himself.
Is it worth it to change one addiction for another?
When quitting smoking, one should not think about how to replace a cigarette, but rather do a "review" of the incentives to quit smoking. And if an honest answer to the question "Why do I want to quit smoking? " Shows that the reason lies in anything but not your own aversion to smoking, then even with cigarette substitutes, quitting may not be cash.
If the pitcher finds something to replace the cigarette, then he must be prepared for the fact that there are no substitutes for insurance, which means that there may be problems caused by taking a substitute.
Candy or snacks (overweight, chewing gum), digestive disorders, vegetables and fruits are also not harmless, and even in amounts comparable to the number of cigarettes smoked per day.
Chewing all kinds of sticks, from matches to tree branches, is also not harmless. Matches are impregnated with a combustible compound that, to put it mildly, is not useful to humans, and tree branches can have side effects and simply be unpleasant to taste.
In any case, it is important to understand that you should not chase two hares at once, and the damage of an extra candy and a kilogram of excess weight is hardly stronger than the damage of a day or two of smoking. And you don't need to lean on candy for years after you quit - a week, two, and that's it.
It's up to you! What do you want to achieve, a healthy life, although with small complications in the first stage, or years of smoking?